Symptoms

The first thing you will see will be soft pearl-like growths about the size of a freckle in the affected area.

Treatment

The growths can be frozen or burned off with chemicals – but the treatment may take some time to work, especially if you have a lot of growths. Unfortunately, the growths can return after treatment sometimes, but this can be sorted by getting some more treatment.

How to avoid it

Avoiding molluscum can be very difficult because it is so easily picked up. However, there are things you can do to decrease your risk of picking up the virus. Firstly, avoid contact with the growths (this is the hardest bit because they’re not always easy to see).

If you’re having oral sex or fancy a bit of rimming, use condoms and dental dams. And, as with most other infections, if you’re having anal or vaginal sex, using condoms and loads of water-based lube is the best way to avoid picking the infection.